Conjugated organic polymers, or intrinsically conductive polymers, have become an economically important class of conductive material in a variety of applications such as, for example, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), field effect transistors (FET), photovoltaic devices (OPVs), and printed electronics generally. Commercial interest arises in part due to the advances in the ability to control the optical and electronic properties of the polymers. In particular, an important aspect of conjugated polymers is the ability to tune the band gap of the polymer, and a particular need exists in the development of new polymeric architectures with specifically designed electronic and optical properties, including lower band gaps, with commercially useful properties. See, for example, Bundgaard et al., “Low Band Gap Polymers for Organic Photovoltaics,” Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 91 (2007), 954-985.
In addition, as production processes for these materials are scaled-up, there is a growing need to improve the methods for making these materials including monomers, oligomers, and polymers. In particular, there is a need for methods which are easy and cost-effective and produce monomers having improved purity.